Enteric bacterial catalysts for fuel ethanol production

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999 · Biotechnology Progress

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/bp9901062· OSTI ID:20001023

Ingram, L O; Aldrich, H C; Borges, A C.C. ^[1]

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1. and others

The technology is available to produce fuel ethanol from renewable lignocellulosic biomass. The current challenge is to assemble the various process options into a commercial venture and begin the task of incremental improvement. Current process designs for lignocellulose are far more complex than grain to ethanol processes. This complexity results in part from the complexity of the substrate and the biological limitations of the catalyst. Their work at the University of Florida has focused primarily on the genetic engineering of Enteric bacteria using genes encoding Zymomonas mobilis pyruvate decarboxylase and alcohol dehydrogenase. These two genes have been assembled into a portable ethanol production cassette, the PET operon, and integrated into the chromosome of Escherichia coli B for use with hemicellulose-derived syrups. The resulting strain, KO11, produces ethanol efficiently from all hexose and pentose sugars present in the polymers of hemicellulose. By using the same approach, the authors integrated the PET operon into the chromosome of Klebsiella oxytoca to produce strain P2 for use in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process for cellulose. Strain P2 has the native ability to ferment cellobiose and cellotriose, eliminating the need for one class of cellulase enzymes.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Agriculture; US Department of Energy
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-96ER20222
• OSTI ID: 20001023
• Journal Information: Biotechnology Progress, Journal Name: Biotechnology Progress Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 15; ISSN 8756-7938; ISSN BIPRET
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE
CATALYSTS
CELLULOSE
DECARBOXYLASES
ETHANOL
GENE OPERONS
GENETIC ENGINEERING
ZYMOMONAS MOBILIS